1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to truck bed mounts, specifically to such truck bed mounts that are used to shelter animals in the back of pickup trucks.
2. Description of the Related Art
A variety of fixed, removable, and retractable enclosures for open areas of vehicles have been marketed and are known in the art. Some such enclosures have been designed to protect animals carried in the rear bed of pickup trucks. For instance, canvas tents have been made to attach to the bed of pick up trucks and provide shelter to dogs and people. However, these canvas tents are designed to be used when the truck is stationary, since a vehicle traveling at high speeds is subject to intense forces caused by the surrounding air. These forces can produce substantial drag and friction that work against the forward motion of the vehicle and can also cause the canvas tents to rip off and pose a hazard to other vehicles on the road. In addition, such tents often obstruct rear visibility and interfere with driving.
Other types of enclosures include hard shells that cover the truck bed to protect its contents. Typically, such shells are mounted to the open bed of the truck bed and are not easily removed. When installed, such shells prevent large objects from being stored in the truck bed, negating much of the usefulness of the pick up truck. Hard shells are also large, heavy and difficult to store.
Collapsible truck shells have been introduced that partially solve the aforementioned problems. These collapsible truck shells are typically composed of several frames of progressively decreasing sizes that, when collapsed, can be nestled within each other to form a generally planar configuration on the truck bed. However, such collapsible truck shells are not easily removed and include several distinct movable parts.
The aforementioned enclosures have proved to be difficult to install, remove, and use. In addition, the aforementioned enclosures have primarily been designed to hold cargo or provide camping shelter for persons and their pets. Furthermore, the aforementioned enclosures have presented other problems such as jamming or binding of movable parts sections as a result of the build-up of corrosion or water in their track-like devices which adversely affects the smooth operation of the enclosures. In addition, the aforementioned enclosures are often costly to purchase. The need has therefore arisen for a compact, lightweight, sturdy, and weather-resistant partial enclosure to provide shade and shelter for pets transported in the truck bed that can be easily installed and removed from a truck bed without significantly hampering the utility of having an open truck bed for cargo space.